sherif23

i would like to express my gratitude for such an informative community

especially together forever13 and habibi83

Yes I know , the Egypt portal

My passport just arrived via DHL with that large yellow envelope

Just shy of three weeks with the Christmas holiday so fairly quick

Thanks for the insight

I am traveling for a week just to see some additional family members. Besides, it's a long flight to leave my wife and a 16 months old baby alone

But I will definitely check the number of entries

The CO said travel before May

Togetherforever13, good luck on the interview

Sherif

Hello All:

I just called the DOS Thanks to Habibi83 for the tip. They said my immigrant VISA was issued today - so I will be checking with the local DHL office soon

the interview was on the 21st so just shy of two weeks that included christmas holiday

I was hoping I can share our travel plans and please advise if you forsee any hurdles

First Week of Feb - P.O.E JFK - with my wife and daughter - but only staying for a week

End of April for two weeks,basically lining up some interviews - Officially resign from my current job

August - One way ticket for the whole family, after tieing all loose ends & personal affairs in Cairo. Besides; I have a pretty sensitive position with my employer so I need to give an adequate notice

Thanks

Ok, clearly she is not his daughter

Sorry for the dumb remark

Hey, I was told I would get the Visa in less than two weeks

No mention of AP

And I did not submit half the documents listed above

But then again I am a former green card holder so my case as an Egyptian male is a little different

If I may ask , is the teenage daughter his, what's the age difference and what does he do in Alex

I hope our story gives others the courage to know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel

I used to live in the US for over 15 years- had a conditional green card then bankruptcy then divorce

So I filed on my own, first interview nothing

A year later another interview and once again nothing

Just a stamp after stamp - last Officer in NY, said you are better off in immigration court ( issue revolved our separation date)

Then I met my current wife, and we got married in 2008

Another interview July of that year and yet one more stamp

Now I lose job - so a prospect comes up in Egypt and we move here summer 2009

Jan 2010- my in laws get a letter for immigration court removal proceeding , what ?

Apparently I missed yet another interview, what a joke and heart breaking

So My wife travels to attend the immigration court on our behalf- based on a lawyer advice

Then pregnant and scared, the lawyer calls her a week before court claiming that it's best she goes alone

Mind you I am hearing all this all the way in Egypt- but at the end my wife proved that I had departed the US prior to the notice of immigration

Court was issued so the case was terminated without prejudice

Now the lawyer files for us the I30 July 2010 , and we are happy thinking we would travel back to the US by December or so

Months go by and nothing, lawyer claims its under control , only to find out March 2011 that w were denied because he did not respond properly to an RFE

That requested my divorce decree nd passport pics

Heartbreaking again, my wife and daughter were in the US, she owns a tax business and is half Egyptian so we were blessed that

She can travel freely between both countries and spend the bulk of the calendar year in Cairo

So we refiled the I30 on our ownin April and today was our interview

I must say the walk to window 15 was a tough one. The first thing she said; As you well now , this is a complex and interesting case, you had a green card that you lost plus

Immigration court proceedings. No questions about current marriage , prior ones - pictures evidence nothing- it seemed that she does not question that we have a bonfide relationship

But has an issue with the green card that I lost. We showed her the immigration court terminating the case. I told her the former green card was a privilege but I left for financial reasons . I had to do what's best for the family . She smiled. Finally; said I respect the decision and understand why you had to leave the US

Case is approved. You will receive your passport in two weeks, and please ensure traveling prior to May

Sorry for the long notes, but I have been reading here different experiences for the past year, and learnt a lot so I had to share our story

Guys - our interview is dec 21

I was hoping I can connect with any one with recent interview experience in Cairo

Just to get a feel for some of the questions and how the day takes shape

Thank u

And good luck to all

Good luck with some good news soon

If you are not planning to move to the US don't bother with the interview. The purpose of the visa to move to the US and live.

If you are planning to live in the US after obtaining the visa then you should not have any big problems. You can explain that you never followed up on the removal of conditions petitions and let them die/expire. (The "I never received notice" story is kinda weak. )

Definitely moving back to the US, my in laws , brother and siter reside in the US

Besides I spent more time there than in my own native country

In terms of the notice, I can assure it never came , otherwise I would

Have happily attended the interview instead of filing from scratch

Thanks for taking the time to read my words

Hello everyone

I think I have one of those unique cases, I will share the History as an experience to anyone similar and seek advice as well

I used to reside in the US, student visa back in 94

Had a a conditional green card in 2004, stamp renewed every six months but they never removed the conditions

Divorce march 2006- primarily financial reason we had filed joint bankruptcy

2008 moved to NY and married another US citizen who's is dual citizen, her dad is Egyptian

We knew each other since summer 2006

Another interview to remove conditions summer of 2008, and still nothing

2009 - lost my job, ran out of unemployment -

Then an opportunity for work came up in Egypt. So I moved here summer 2009 and my wife came with me (she owns a tax business so has the luxury to be able to freely travel. Besides, we had a lot of credit card debit so I needed a job

We travelled back to the US for the Christmas holiday ( no issues)

Jan 2010 - I get a removal letter to appear in immigration court for not showing up to my conditional removal interview. What a joke, because we never got the notification of such interview in the mail, and I had been to two conditional removal interviews already

Wife travelled back to US for tax season - hired a lawyer and went to the immigration court - case was closed on the basis that I had left the US prior to any legal judgements and

Had always maintained legal status while residing in the US

Now e wife travels back to Egypt (she was pregnant and did not want to deliver the baby away from me)

Our beautiful girl born summer of 2010

Once again my wife stays with me until jan 2011 at which she travels back to The US for tax season

She files the I30, since our trip to Cairo was only meant for like a year or so until things went sour

Case complete, interview scheduled for December 21st - I think she will come with me since she has been living here anyway

But oh boy - no idea what to expect and lawyers given me different stories. Such as old green card and leaving the US will be a problem - someone else said, your biggest battle will

Be to prove that your intentions are to move permanently to the US since I left and am gainfully employed here in Cairo

Thanks for reading my words

Thank you

And yes Cairo does a few countries interviews. I do not know all of them but at least 4 other countries.

Yeah!!! I am so happy for you Sherif23. I thought I should email and offline people because I am sure many people were not going to check for awhile. And the more notice we have till the interview then the more time to plan things.

Congrats and I wish you the best of luck!!

Thank you

I was hoping I can ask if anyone went to an immigration lawyer for consultation prior to interview

Reason why I ask is that my wife and have a unique case . We got married in 2008 in CT. At the same time I still had a pending green card to remove conditions from a prior marriage

Then I lost my job in the US and came to Egypt when a great opportunity presented itself. My wife owns a tax business so she travels back and forth between US and Egypt specially since the birth of our daughter. Old case was closed and my wife filed the current one

Just not sure what to expect at all come the December interview

Well it looks like your prayers have helped. I seen someone with a Case complete at NVC on August 5th get a December 15th interview date. God Bless!!

So, I think that means that Cairo will do all CC from NVC from June, July and some August for December interviews. Thank you God and everyone praying for Egypt members.

I appreciate all your prayers and good thoughts.

Thank you

Hey - thank you for the message yesterday -

i just checked with NVC earlier this morning, and guess what an interview date for december 21st

I hope this gives all August and afterwards approved NVC cases some good news

Hello all;

My wife is US born Citizen but has the Egyptian nationality as well from her father. She owns a tax business in the US, but has been staying with me here along with our daughter that was born in Cairo since

May 2011.

Our case has been completed at NVC since August 18th awaiting the long anticipated interview.

Last week I visited the US embassy here in Cairo requesting a non-immigrant visa. I had an invitation for a prestigious business conference in Boston and letters from my employer that they will pay for everything. A five day conference mind you, and I work for a large multinational organization that is well known in Egypt.

So I walk up to consular counter like an idiot all comfortable and relaxed. I have nothing to hide, I am actually a former green card holder from a previous marriage that went sour, and had left the US voluntarily on my own terms.

So the consular starts asking me about my life in the US and my current US citizen wife. I told her US has always been my home, but I left because we are all driven by our financial needs at one point or another. US citizen wife is staying with me until we finish the case.

She said I am sorry, US laws has my hands tied, I am sure you will get your green card but I cannot approve your non immigrant visa request.

It was heartbreaking - I just wanted to represent my employer. I told her, how you consider me a flight risk, because honesty does not pay - especially that she kept stressing on my statement that the US is my home ( I lived in the US for over 15 years). I argued I was upset, she kept saying, you seem credible but sorry I cannot.

I had the inclination after I left that the decision was already determined before I went up to the window. Since she would not even review any of my paperwork - nothing

Oh well, what can I say?

Please add our case

NVC date of completion is August 18th

Keko' it will be interesting to see what happens with both our timelines

I thought we would have an interview by now

thanks guys,

I-130 yes, we will print new forms, they are already saved and filled out anway

Bob - We are definitely sending the marriage certificate & our daughter's birth certificate

we just figured the photos wont hurt

Thanks Bob

we do have copies of everything, just need to print some of the wedding pics again, and thats it

i would rather elect this option than wait for few weeks for a rejected packet in the mail

inky - can we call customer services, i mean we can have the check there over night

or is this not feasible at all

Thanks Inky

It is a stupid mistake, I cannot believe it

but i feel better to know that we do not have to prepare everything all over again

Hello everyone

My wife mailed the I-130 two days ago to the chicago address vi fedex.

It should arrive today, but we just realized that she never included a check for the $420

can we do anything at this point, or its too late

Dont misunderstand my meaning or intent here. It is critical that you do this exactly the right way. No need to apologise just take a deep breath & relax.

A motion to reconsider is simply a letter saying that is what you are asking them to do. It is free & different that a motion to reopen.

Just write a simple statement of facts. Tell them a mistake was made when the photos were sent in. Explain that you have enclosed the correct photos along with the copy of the docs you got from USCIS. Ask that the case be reconsidered in light of the new & correct info they can review & therefore approve the case. Ask them to notify you of any action they take.

One problem with this is you will probably not know what is going on for a long time. You will begin to think it didnt work ect. Offset that by waiting at least a month & then make INFO PASS appointment to see USCIS. They will be able to tell you the status.

it is definitely worth a try. I am an Egyptian citizen, and from the looks of it, US embassy here may not open for a while, so I have time to invest into this options

Thank you

It may not seem important to you but you do not have room for another mistake. If you want to reopen the case you will have to file for that.

My post clearly says " motion to reconsider ". The goal is to be helpful. Read what I said please & follow the example. If you dont send these items back to the correct department they will likely be lost in the black hole.

What you do next has everything to do with your chance of success. The RFE tells you where to send the info back to.

of course it is imporant to me....

my apologies, i got excited quickly

motion to reconsider - and back to the RFE address

is there an additional form for the motion to reconsider - can you explain the process you took

we actually lost three months waiting for the denial to come in the mail. case was originally approved december 15th, notice came march 13th

All is not lost. We made exactly the same mistake & got the same letter. There is a way out of this. Ignore the denial letter. This is a standard procedure when they dont get the correct responce.

My husband sent in a copy of the RFE & denial letter along with a " motion to reconsider" asking for them to accept the correct info. It was accepted. We lost 2 months because of our stupid mistake but they did approve the case.

You have time to do this but you need to get it done asap.

the Denial notice has a date of March 8th, I actually do have few days, but how do I go about the motion to reopen?

Thank you so much, I would much rather give this a shot than staring all over again

Please advise

and I am assuming I would send everything back to the same address listed for the RFE?

Ryan -

what about the portion of have you filed before? i think this is where we mention the previous case that was denied i believe

and no more Vermont, everything is now chicago lockbox?

C. Yes, you do mention your daughter.

Were you denied (sent a NOID) or did the lawyer you used not respond to an RFE for the proper passport photo? Ignoring an RFE deadline would result in your petition simply being closed (I think). Based on your post, I think the lawyer you used did not respond to an RFE for a proper passport photo.

Anyway, before you say you were "denied" when you submit this form, find out exactly what the disposition was on the last petition.

It was denied, we received a letter late around March 13th with the details. the denial letter states that you were given ample time through the RFE to provide the correct photo picture of the pettitioner but failed to do this to this date ( date of the notice)

the lawyer claims her sent the right photo, and it was a big mess, because he also received a notice when the case was reopened and never told us

it is truly frustrating, to lose out on months and money on such simple reason, so here we are again